The Net Fool Support System… At Your Service!
Posted on October 14th, 2008 by Jim under Features, ObservationsThere’s a new feature at The Net Fool!
I’ve decided to add a support system to theNetFool.com as an alternative means to communicate. I get emails from interested users every day, and having a back up support-only system in place will definitely cut my work time. Now, instead of using the contact form for every type of request, I am going to split up personal inquirys and business questions by using a help desk/ticket system to handle the latter.
Why The Change?
This move came on the discovery that one of my online buddies Joe, from IMWithJoe.com, was using a help desk on his website to direct users toward a friendlier solution. While this is a bit different from mine in its purpose, I feel like it is generally just as useful. For Joe, he uses it as an integrated solution for all of his online business. Since The Net Fool is now up to 700 returning readers, I feel like having a dedicated system to serve you guys is the right way to go! 
The advantages of Installing a help desk at your blog
To me, there are really two sides of advantages once you install a help desk or ticket system connected to your website of blog: your clients, and you! The downside risk is slim, and the only thing I can really think of is that it might increase your workload a little bit. However, if people are going to ask a question… they are going to ask a question. So why not organize things a bit, eh?
Help Desk Advantage One – The Client
This blog is centered around helping you make money online. So I thought: “how can I do this better?” The obvious solution was to provide more ways for you to get in touch with me to get your questions answered in a timely fashion without having to check back on some article that I happen to write. I know that a lot of you are interested in many topics, many of which I have already 
written about. Because of this, the new help desk provides a one-stop resource for you to ask questions and see some commonly answered questions already displayed!
Help Desk Advantage Two – Personal
I have to think about installing and maintaining a support system from the stance of a blog/site owner. So if our workload increases, what could the advantage possibly be to adding things to your schedule? Firstly, it could be argued that questions won’t really “increase”… they will simply come more organized. But really, any for-profit blogger in this niche will realize that most of their revenue comes from referral sales. By providing a support system, you are going to increase your reputation among your readers. If you have readers that like you a lot and rely on you for advice, they are much more likely to convert on offers you propose and re-visit your site for recurring traffic. Because of this, I call help desks a win-win situation.
Free Integrated Support Systems for You!
The question now is: where can I get a free support system for my blog? If you have a little spending cash, I recommend buying the Kayako Support Suite. I have used this extensive system on multiple websites and it is truly the best. However, I feel that bloggers would be much better suited with a free resource. I am using the discontinued version of “Maian Support,” which is now a paid system as well. Because of this, let’s take a l
ook at a few free options still available for you to try out!
- OsTicket Support System
- Crafty Syntax Live Help
- Help Center Live
- PHP Support Tickets
- Support Logic Helpdesk
- Support Services Manager
These are some good names that you should check out to see which you like best. I feel like having a support option on your blog other than the contact page may be a creative way to spark some viewer interest at your website. You notice now that I have added the “Have a Question?” button in the sidebar. It’s discreet, but effective. As a website owner, I want people to know that they can come to me for help. This mutual trust relationship makes websites much more ethical (and profitable), so give it a shot!
-The Net Fool
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!Related Posts
- Question and Answer Session with The Net Fool – Win a Free Prize!
- Question and Answer Session 2 with The Net Fool – Free Text Link Giveaway!
- Question and Answer Session Number 3 – Win Some Cool Stuff for FREE!
- Host Monster Web Hosting – Top Notch Service with Unlimited Features!
- Ten Things to Blog About… When You Don’t Know What to Blog About
Good idea Jim.I guess every one will use this system in the future.
This is a pretty impressive idea, I’d like to hear about the results in a few days time. Also, I might be adding one to my blog in the future, you know, when it’s bigger
Great post man! I really love how you think out your posts! I like the idea of using it the way you do as well, and may look into creating more departments within my own help desk. I get a few questions myself by email, and having a help desk with the knowledgebase is a great move.
Plus, I think it moves you from just a blogger to an actual business man in your readers/customers eyes.
Have fun, I’ll be watching how you implement it, and making some adjustments myself.
Yeah, Jim, I came in contact with Joe’s Help Desk and was like, “Where did you get this one?” It is such a great idea and really takes your professionalism to the next level. There is one more advantage for you, in my opinion.
Thanks for the resources of where we can find it also!
Interesting…I work at a helpdesk for my full time job. We use Numara Footprints. It is a fantastic platform that is totally customizable and has created much more efficient productivity for our IT department.
My blog is not ready for a helpdesk just yet but this is awesome info Jim. A definite page to bookmark for later use. Thanks!
You can work full-time doing this kind of stuff? Damn.
Great idea. I sure can use one, but would like to see how it works first. Look forward to some more information from you on its efficacy.
It’s great that you consider convenience for your readers, that also helps you communicate more efficiently. Love the new function, keep it up!
Great idea Jim, I know i ll have to use it soon
Just to be original: Good idea jim! Seriously, I think it’s great to have a more professional way to interact with the readers. I don’t know if the readers enjoy having to open a ticket though, I think some might prefer to just drop an email. Anyway, keep up posted on the results!
This is great man! I’ve tried doing something like this on my blog, but I stopped doing it after a few days. After reading this post though, I think it’s time to bring it back!
it is an original idea, but will it be used? i mean, if i want to ask you something i would just use MSN or send you an email
I still have to attain that status of an authority blogger in my niche before I do something like that on my blog.
Great idea. I hope to some day be in a position where I’ll have to hire a support staff to take all my email. Sooner than later hopefully.
This is simple to implement, holding lot of value kind of feature. Would you like to change the title of the logo on the side bar from Entrecard to something else like “Help” etc (Just thought it’s a miss, & can bring it to your notice)